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So..I've finally gotten a chance to compare the two strops in brand new condition. i don't think this is a fair comparison, but it's fair for someone who doesn't want to wait for a strop to break in...

There's enough in the one side to get about 20-21 inches of strop out of it, but I don't think there's enough to get 19 out of the other. Just short of that, I'd think.

Some use of other leathers...

Here's the strop I've been using, it's just a hacked up piece of horse butt with hardware stolen off of one of those $12 ebay strops (I didn't know any better several years ago with the ebay strop,...

By the way, this strop was 24 inches long to start, it is a #2, and one could get two 22" strips of leather out of it. I cut right out of the heart of it and it's 24 inches measured at the longest...

Here's the shell, about 24 inches long at its longest point:

114501

It cut really nicely with a violin knife, really much nicer to cut than any leather I've cut so far (others being veg. tanned...

My horween #2 shell arrived on friday. It is a spectacular piece of leather. I'll lay it out this evening (my wife has me committed to some things today) to see what someone hypothetically get out of...

I ordered one, too (a kanayama-an 80,000 from aframestokyo). I'll be interested in hearing how you get along with yours compared to another strop. I don't know anything about any other manufactured...

There are bigger shells, too, but they cost more and they cost a little more per square foot.

#2 sized are right now a little under $100 a sq foot, and the biggest (which are 2.75 sq feet vs. the...

I just got off of the phone with them, burgundy and some darker color yet are the colors that are available right now (the preferred colors for other stuff might be harder to get), I don't care if my...

I got an answer from horween. they have a bunch of different sized shells, but they are somewhere around $80-$90 a square foot for shell cordovan except the biggest shells which are a little more....

Thanks for the clarification, Neil. I agree that the ballgame is different making strops, it's easy to be patient breaking in your own if you make it but not so easy as a newbie buyer looking for...

I have some 3" strops, and my favorite cheap piece of horse butt hanging strop, I had that at 3" originally, too, but I cut it back to 2" and I like it better. 2 or 2 1/2 would be fine.

After...

Is that one shell? why is it so cheap (it's $140 at current exchange rates, cheap is a relative term, I guess).

aframestokyo has cordovan and linen 60000s for $202, which I think is my favorite...

Thanks! I haven't yet found a vintage shell strop that wasn't used, and I have sort of a bugaboo about used strops.

$250 is pretty steep, but I guess they won't stay in business by giving things...

So, in the ongoing horween curiosity that only interests me, I see from the imperial page that horween actually *treats* the cordovan for imperial, a special treatment specifically for strops. So...

None of that I said above is to be construed as me disagreeing with Neil, he knows a lot more about strops than I do. Just an instance of me deciding what I will use instead of me reading what other...

It's interesting that Neil dislikes most what I like most. I'm guessing a hard card-like leather with no draw could easily describe horse butt strips when you get them. They are hard, abrasive, and...

I think their early history was mostly strop leather. They'll know what makes a good strop, even if most of what they sell now is for shoes, belts, wallets, archery gloves etc.

Right, but I'm looking for shell cordovan leather, not finished strops. I sent horween an email, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't respond because I did specify that I was only looking for a...

Right, from my previous message:



Their web page is goofed so you can't view much information, but maybe I will call them. It sounds like it will still be expensive even to purchase as raw...

Out of curiosity, I checked some of the manuals listed in the library here. It does list kangaroo as being readily available at any barber shop (and says it is a good choice, along with some other...

Why would it have been difficult? Barbers could get natural stones from Japan, quite good ones back then.

Presumably australians tanned kangaroos for the last several hundred years.

It's...

Does anyone know where to get cordovan shells at this point? For someone who might like to make their own strop?

Allen Edmonds is still making shoes with cordovan last I looked, and getting shells...

I'll give you mine, since it's totally useless unless you're me! (on the leathers)

1) Shell Cordovan
2) Broken in Horse Butt
3) Veggie Tanned cowhide (or any good smooth cowhide), on the firm...